diff --git a/src/Mod/Fem/Gui/ViewProviderFemPostObject.cpp b/src/Mod/Fem/Gui/ViewProviderFemPostObject.cpp
index 86506dd53f..79dd39ac29 100644
--- a/src/Mod/Fem/Gui/ViewProviderFemPostObject.cpp
+++ b/src/Mod/Fem/Gui/ViewProviderFemPostObject.cpp
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@
 
 # include <vtkCellArray.h>
 # include <vtkCellData.h>
+# include <vtkDoubleArray.h>
 # include <vtkPointData.h>
 
 # include <QApplication>
@@ -623,13 +624,24 @@ void ViewProviderFemPostObject::updateData(const App::Property* p) {
     }
 }
 
-bool ViewProviderFemPostObject::setupPipeline() {
-
+bool ViewProviderFemPostObject::setupPipeline()
+{
     vtkDataObject* data = static_cast<Fem::FemPostObject*>(getObject())->Data.getValue();
 
     if (!data)
         return false;
 
+    // check all fields if there is a real/imaginary one and if so
+    // add a field with an absolute value
+    vtkSmartPointer<vtkDataObject> SPdata = data;
+    vtkDataSet* dset = vtkDataSet::SafeDownCast(SPdata);
+    std::string FieldName;
+    auto numFields = dset->GetPointData()->GetNumberOfArrays();
+    for (int i = 0; i < numFields; ++i) {
+        FieldName = std::string(dset->GetPointData()->GetArrayName(i));
+        addAbsoluteField(dset, FieldName);
+    }
+
     m_outline->SetInputData(data);
     m_surface->SetInputData(data);
     m_wireframe->SetInputData(data);
@@ -638,7 +650,6 @@ bool ViewProviderFemPostObject::setupPipeline() {
     return true;
 }
 
-
 void ViewProviderFemPostObject::onChanged(const App::Property* prop) {
 
     if (m_blockPropertyChanges)
@@ -685,7 +696,6 @@ bool ViewProviderFemPostObject::doubleClicked() {
     return true;
 }
 
-
 bool ViewProviderFemPostObject::setEdit(int ModNum) {
 
     if (ModNum == ViewProvider::Default || ModNum == 1) {
@@ -842,3 +852,70 @@ void ViewProviderFemPostObject::onSelectionChanged(const Gui::SelectionChanges &
             updateMaterial();
     }
 }
+
+// if there is a real and an imaginary field, an absolute field is added
+void ViewProviderFemPostObject::addAbsoluteField(vtkDataSet* dset, std::string FieldName)
+{
+    // real field names have the suffix " re", given by Elmer
+    // if the field does not have this suffix, we can return
+    auto suffix = FieldName.substr(FieldName.size() - 3, FieldName.size() - 1);
+    if (strcmp(suffix.c_str(), " re") != 0)
+        return;
+
+    // absolute fields might have already been created, then do nothing
+    auto strAbsoluteFieldName = FieldName.substr(0, FieldName.size() - 2) + "abs";
+    vtkDataArray* testArray = dset->GetPointData()->GetArray(strAbsoluteFieldName.c_str());
+    if (testArray)
+        return;
+
+    // safety check
+    vtkDataArray* realDdata = dset->GetPointData()->GetArray(FieldName.c_str());
+    if (!realDdata)
+        return;
+
+    // now check if the imaginary counterpart exists
+    auto strImaginaryFieldName = FieldName.substr(0, FieldName.size() - 2) + "im";
+    vtkDataArray* imagDdata = dset->GetPointData()->GetArray(strImaginaryFieldName.c_str());
+    if (!imagDdata)
+        return;
+
+    // create a new array and copy over the real data
+    // since one cannot directly access the values of a vtkDataSet
+    // we need to copy them over in a loop
+    vtkSmartPointer<vtkDoubleArray> absoluteData = vtkSmartPointer<vtkDoubleArray>::New();
+    absoluteData->SetNumberOfComponents(realDdata->GetNumberOfComponents());
+    auto numTuples = realDdata->GetNumberOfTuples();
+    absoluteData->SetNumberOfTuples(numTuples);
+    double tuple[] = {0, 0, 0};
+    for (vtkIdType i = 0; i < numTuples; ++i) {
+        absoluteData->SetTuple(i, tuple);
+    }
+    // name the array
+    auto strAbsFieldName = FieldName.substr(0, FieldName.size() - 2) + "abs";
+    absoluteData->SetName(strAbsFieldName.c_str());
+
+    // add array to data set
+    dset->GetPointData()->AddArray(absoluteData);
+
+    // step through all mesh points and calculate them
+    double realValue = 0;
+    double imaginaryValue = 0;
+    double absoluteValue = 0;
+    for (int i = 0; i < dset->GetNumberOfPoints(); ++i) {
+        if (absoluteData->GetNumberOfComponents() == 1) {
+            realValue = realDdata->GetComponent(i, 0);
+            imaginaryValue = imagDdata->GetComponent(i, 0);
+            absoluteValue = sqrt(pow(realValue, 2) + pow(imaginaryValue, 2));
+            absoluteData->SetComponent(i, 0, absoluteValue);
+        }
+        // if field is a vector
+        else {
+            for (int j = 0; j < absoluteData->GetNumberOfComponents(); ++j) {
+                realValue = realDdata->GetComponent(i, j);
+                imaginaryValue = imagDdata->GetComponent(i, j);
+                absoluteValue = sqrt(pow(realValue, 2) + pow(imaginaryValue, 2));
+                absoluteData->SetComponent(i, j, absoluteValue);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/Mod/Fem/Gui/ViewProviderFemPostObject.h b/src/Mod/Fem/Gui/ViewProviderFemPostObject.h
index c573ebd7c2..15b56fce5d 100644
--- a/src/Mod/Fem/Gui/ViewProviderFemPostObject.h
+++ b/src/Mod/Fem/Gui/ViewProviderFemPostObject.h
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ public:
     // handling when object is deleted
     bool onDelete(const std::vector<std::string>&) override;
     bool canDelete(App::DocumentObject* obj) const override;
-    virtual void onSelectionChanged(const Gui::SelectionChanges &sel);
+    virtual void onSelectionChanged(const Gui::SelectionChanges& sel);
 
       /** @name Selection handling
       * This group of methods do the selection handling.
@@ -156,6 +156,7 @@ private:
                         vtkDataArray *tcoords);
     void WriteColorData(bool ResetColorBarRange);
     void WriteTransparency();
+    void addAbsoluteField(vtkDataSet* dset, std::string FieldName);
 
     App::Enumeration m_coloringEnum, m_vectorEnum;
     bool m_blockPropertyChanges;